The Importance of Goals (Part 2): The Yellow Post-It

Hey y’all! This is part 2 of my series on GOALS. Last week we talked about the importance of setting goals. If you missed last week and want to catch up, just scroll down to the next post! I hope you took the challenge and you had some success with it! If not, it’s never too late to start!

So after you have set your goals and created a plan to reach them, what’s next? For me, it is posting reminders so that my goal is constantly on my mind. I learned this through a loved one’s experience.

He would hate me telling you this, but he used to have some road rage. Who doesn’t right? He wouldn’t cuss at them or give them any gestures, but he would get upset. This was something he wanted to work on. His goal: Stay calm and relaxed while driving. For his reminder, he used this tiny yellow post-it. The post-it didn’t have anything written on it, but he knew what it was for. He posted the note on his rear-view mirror so it was constantly in view while driving. He has slowly gotten better and realized cursing that person’s family, dog and ancestors isn’t necessary if they cut him off. To this day, the exact same note is posted on his rear-view mirror (it’s a faded white now).

Having constant reminders of your goals is extremely important. If you don’t remember your goals how do you expect to achieve them? These reminders do not have to be huge or even have anything to do with your goal. YOU choose YOUR reminder. Post it everywhere! Around your house, on the bathroom mirror, in your car, on your desk. Whatever works best for you!

If you took last week’s challenge than you have a goal in mind. Congrats, step one is complete! Now post your reminders everywhere! Constant reminders lead to constant application. You got this!

CHALLENGE: Post reminders of your goal everywhere!

The Importance of Goals (Part 1): The Red Fire Hydrants

Hey ya’ll! Hope everyone is having a great week! I have been thinking a lot about goals lately so I decided to take the next few Fridays to share with you my thoughts. Each week will be a different aspect of goal setting. Each post will end with a challenge. Take it or leave it. It’s up to you. If you take it, I can promise that something in you will change. Enjoy!

For those of you who don’t know, I have recently taken up running. I have always been one to get my conditioning or cardio in during my lifting sessions (cutting breaks, super setting, etc.), but one of my New Year’s resolutions was to start running. Running has always been a punishment to me. Growing up I heard “EVERYBODY ON THE LINE!” way too many times. It made me hate it. But I wanted a goal to work for so I made a goal to run this year.

On January 1^st, I made the goal. I even wrote it down on my wall, “Run more this year!”. I looked at that sign everyday as I left my house. It was a constant reminder to achieve my goal. I felt motivated, rejuvenated, ready to tackle this goal of running more! But ask me how many times I ran in January? ZERO TIMES. Even with my constant reminder, I didn’t even attempt my goal! Why you ask? Because my goal wasn’t even a goal, it was something I wanted to do; it was a wish.

“A goal without a plan is simply a wish”. One of my favorite quotes. If we set goals for ourselves and we don’t take the time to figure out a game plan to achieve them, it’s not a goal. It’s a wish. It is something we hope will happen, but we aren’t taking ownership in what we want to do. That is where society fails itself. Of the 20% of the US population that set goals, 70% of these people do not achieve them. The #1 cause: failure to plan.

Planning to reach a goal is the key to success. If you want to lose weight, how are you going to do it? If you want to bench press your body weight, how are you going to do that? If you want to get in shape, how will you and what will be your determining factors? After setting the goal, you have to ask yourself, “How?”.

In February, I made my goal specific and wrote, “I want to run a 5k” on my wall. I was driving the route that I was planning to run and noticed something weird. There were a TON of red fire hydrants along this certain stretch of road. I thought to myself, “that’s my plan! I’ll run to the fire hydrants. A different one each week”. I had my plan. I went home and physically wrote it down and posted it (very important step I will touch on later). The next day I started at the first fire hydrant and began my run. IT WAS HORRIBLE. I was breathing heavy, my legs hurt, I hated it. BUT, I knew how far I needed to go to achieve my goal. I had my eyes set on that next fire hydrant. Every step I got a little closer, never taking my eyes off of it until I finally got there. I made it! I accomplished the goal for the day! I was so proud of myself! I yelled with excitement! Yeah, it was not a long distance, but I had done it. I felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. I did that every other day for a month until I ran my first 5k (3.1 miles). The joy that I felt when I finished that race was amazing! It was an emotional thing. Running was no longer a punishment but something I was getting better at!

Goals are key to success in life. If you want to accomplish a goal, create a plan. If you create a plan and stick to it, there is no better feeling than the sense of accomplishment you will feel when you reach your goal.

CHALLENGE: Set one goal this week and create a plan to achieve it!

YOU CAN DO IT!!

Sleep: The New Performance-Enhancer

Hey Yall! Anyone that knows me knows that I love to sleep. When I was younger I did not have a bedtime because I would just go to sleep on my own. Now that I’m grown, I usually fall asleep within seconds of my head hitting the pillow. It’s one of my favorite things and probably the thing I’m best at (besides writing AMAZING blog posts, am I right?)

I was listening to an interview on the radio with a professional football player who seems to have beaten father time. At the age of 36 (OLD in football terms) he is still performing at a very high level. The interviewer asked him, “How are you doing it? You’re getting up there in age but you are still a big-time player.” He gave the usual answers of correct nutrition, exercise, conditioning, massage, dry needling but his last tip intrigued me. “The key to my success is sleep. Sleep is like a legal steroid. I make sure to get 8 hours every night.”

Now I always have heard that 7-8 hours of sleep is important, but I have never heard it referred to as a steroid or performance enhancer. So I did some digging to find out how sleep can become a legal, performance enhancing additive. Here is what I found:

In an article posted by the Harvard School of Public Health, it was found that individuals who slept for less than 7 hours were 15% more likely to be obese compared to individuals who slept 7-8 hours. Interestingly enough, individuals who slept for 9 or more hours also had an increased risk of obesity. But you guys know that numbers aren’t good enough for me. I want to know why!!

Under or over-sleeping has a big impact on how our body systems regulate themselves.  Sleep deprivation causes the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin to be increased. In simple words, this tricks the body into thinking its hungry and causes you to overeat.  Among other things, under sleeping causes decreased body temperature, decreased physical activity and an increase in depression and type 2 diabetes risk.

If those things aren’t enough to put you asleep (see what I did there?) I don’t know what is. Sleep is key to a successful healthy lifestyle. The goal is 7-8 hours. Now, you are probably reading this and saying, “7-8 hours? Yeah right. I wish that was possible.” Oh, but it is! Set the goal today to work towards 8 hours of sleep. I can guarantee you’ll thank me; and so will your co-workers. Happy sleeping!

A Gym For Everybody

Hey ya’ll! Ross here. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately and wanted to share something with you. I am constantly thinking of ways to set the MVP Annex apart from other gyms or fitness facilities. The problem is that every gym is doing this same thing. The fitness world is always looking for “the next big thing”. The next fad diet, the next fad workout, the next fad stretching routine or the next fad cardio workout. THE NEXT, THE NEXT, THE NEXT.

The thought I had was this: not everyone wants, or needs, the next big thing. Some people are just looking to get in shape and don’t care about the newest CrossFit workout. Some people are looking to get in better shape and should not participate in the newest workout.

All too often, the fitness industry is geared to people that are already fit. Not the ones who are wanting to get fit but don’t know where to start. Because of this, I have tried to make myself as well rounded as possible.

When I say that The MVP Annex is a “gym for everybody” I mean it! We are a fitness center for people wanting to get fit, stay fit or get more fit. Our system works for everyone. Literally. We are a weight loss gym for those looking to lose weight. We are a movement gym for those looking to move better or have more success with their current program and trainer. We are a performance gym for athletes wanting to take their game to the next level. We are the butt kick gym for those who know they need to get their butt in shape but need some motivation. WE ARE A GYM FOR EVERYBODY.

Our system is simple. Get you moving better while getting you in shape. As people get in better shape or get stronger their bodies need to learn how to move with less restriction. That’s what we do. I analyze your movements and build workouts that achieve your goals while bettering your movement. Move better. Move more. It’s simple.

I want to help as many people as I can because I have seen the results myself. That’s why The MVP Annex is: A GYM FOR EVERYBODY.